Binoculars are widely used by spectators in large and small spectator facilities to enhance their view of events from seats which are removed from the activity being viewed. In the past, however, it has generally been necessary for spectators to bring their own binoculars. This usually creates a dilemma for the owner of the binoculars, however, because, first, it is bothersome to have to carry the binoculars to and from the facility, second, there is a chance that one's binoculars can be damaged or stolen during transit to and from the facility or during the time when the owner is attending an event in the facility, and, third, for this reason, the owner must divide his or her attention between watching the events taking place and keeping track of the binoculars so that they are not damaged or stolen.
In addition, there are many spectators who do not own a pair of binoculars, but would, nevertheless, like to use binoculars to enhance their viewing of particular events. Indeed, some people would have no need for a pair of binoculars, except when they are at a particular event or in a special location in which they have a particular interest and, therefore, wish to have an enhanced view through the use of a pair of binoculars. For instance, a sports fan might have interest in several different spectator sports but only have a desire to use a pair of binoculars to watch portions of one particular sport. An example of such a situation might be an individual who enjoys watching baseball from the first or third base line without the help of a pair of binoculars, but wants to have an enhanced view of his favorite horse as it rounds the turn into the backstretch which might be more than a quarter of a mile away from the spectator seat at a large racetrack. Patrons of concert halls and observation decks would also like to use binoculars from time to time. Other people would like to have an enhanced view of other things, whether it is an event or a view of a skyline. If they could expect a pair of binoculars to be available for their use at each event or location, they would use binoculars more often. This is particularly true in many of the very large ballparks, stadiums, racetracks, and the like which serve as facilities for the wide variety of spectator sporting events held throughout the world. Racing of all types provides an excellent example of a spectator sport where spectators would be greatly benefited by the presence of a pair of binoculars. In the United States, patrons of the symphony, the opera, and speaking events in concert halls, convention centers and open air facilities, or spectators watching baseball, basketball, hockey and American football which are played in indoor and outdoor facilities, field houses, sports centers, stadia, and the like are further examples of events wherein there is a need for patron or spectator viewing enhancement. Similar events are popular in Canada, along with some of the traditional European sporting events such as Rugby Football, Soccer Football, and the like which are generally played in outdoor facilities as done throughout the rest of the world, especially where those games predominate. Other sporting events such as Cricket, Hurling, Australian Rules Football and the like are also popular spectator events at which spectators may have a desire to use binoculars to enhance their view. Others may just want to use a pair of binoculars to view Mt. Rushmore, Pike's Peak, or Manhattan from a distant location that affords a good view.
Accordingly, a need exists for an availability of binoculars for spectators watching spectator events so that the view of the events taking place can be enhanced by using the binoculars however provided. The present invention provides a solution to this and other problems and also offers other advantages over the prior art, and solves other problems associated therewith.